


As We Are

by BlueShell



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Haikyuu!! Secret Santa 2017, If Eita knew how to communicate this fic would be 5000 words shorter, Kyoutani acts like an ass, M/M, Tendou has overbearing parents, UshiShira is just hinted at, some light swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 14:30:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13125642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueShell/pseuds/BlueShell
Summary: Once the thought of Satori having an interest on him had settled in, it justwouldn’t leave.(In which Semi Eita has to deal with his feelings at losing the starter spot on the Quidditch team, and the increasingly likely possibility that Tendou Satori likelikeshim.)





	As We Are

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Crollalanza](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crollalanza/gifts).



> So this is my Haikyuu!! Secret Santa gift to crollalanza! Among the prompts she gave, she said she wanted TenSemi and that an HP AU was just fine, so this monster here was born. Pretty sure it's the longest fanfic I've ever written!
> 
> So I have some notes:
> 
> Note 01: About the Houses. Of course, when you shove an entire team into a House, there will be some misfits, but I seriously gave a lot of thinking as to which House every team would go. Shiratorizawa became Ravenclaw because the focus was on Tendou and Semi, who I think fit the Ravenclaw House best, considering their approach to volleyball as an analogy to their approach to life in general. Aobajousai became Slytherin solely on account of Oikawa, and Karasuno became Gryffindor because of the many team members who have gaining courage and determination as their personal arcs in HQ. Datekou is Hufflepuff becauseitwastheonlyhouseleftsorry. I decided to work only with the main Miyagi teams, so Nekoma and Fukuroudani and Inarizaki are all in foreign schools in this case. Sorry about that.
> 
> Note 02: About Quidditch. There are seven players on court in volleyball, and there are seven players on Quidditch. So: wing spikers became Chasers, middle blockers became Beaters, the libero became the Keeper and the setter became the Seeker. I know it's not a perfect analogy, but it's the best I could do. 
> 
> Note 03: Honorifics - I just can't write Japanese fandom without honorifics. Please ignore them :D
> 
> Note 04: Kyoutani is looking like a jackass in this fic, but please remember that it's on the Shiratorizawa kids' POV, and they don't know that he is actually a sweet cinammon roll. :)
> 
> I hope you like the fic, and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

The party seemed like it was going to go on all night.

Apparently, someone had sneaked away to Hogsmeade after the game, because there was enough butterbeer to fuel the Ravenclaw tower all week. He would have expected Wakatoshi to oppose this blatant violation of the rules, but he seemed too distracted by Goshiki’s retelling of the game – or, rather, by the curious blush on their new Seeker’s face whenever his name was mentioned.

God, Eita felt so _petty._

He should just be happy their new strategy had worked and their offense had managed to go through the best Beater team currently in Hogwarts, not – not overanalyzing every one of Shirabu’s moves in his head and deciding how _he_ would certainly have done better _._

So he wasn’t the official Seeker anymore. It didn’t mean he was forever banned from the team, or that his Quidditch days were over. It _definitely_ didn’t mean he wasn’t from Ravenclaw anymore, or that he’d have to start rooting for that bastard Oikawa all of a sudden—

Something pointy and sweet was shoved into his mouth and he fell off the chair trying to defend himself.

The culprit was leaning on the back of the armchair Eita had chosen as his spot for the night, half a Honeydukes chocolate wand in his hand and laughing like an Erkling about to eat a child.

“What the _hell_ , Satori?!” Eita shouted, using all of his strength to rise and not strangle the _jackass_. Never mind that the chocolate in his mouth was his favorite kind—“You just don’t go around shoving food—argh—stop laughing!”

The laughter eventually became giggles and died out; Satori was wiping tears from his eyes. “Sorry there, Semi-Semi, you just looked so _out_ of it.”

“And you thought that was your cue to try to—I don’t know—make me have a heart attack?”

“Oh, I had to stop you somehow,” Satori said, and sent him a very knowing look from underneath long eyelashes. It was he kind of look that always made Eita feel on edge, because he never knew just what was going to follow it. “You’re glaring so hard at Kenjirou I think the kid’s going to catch on fire.”

Eita’s mouth opened, closed.

With a dramatic gesture, Satori opened Eita’s hand, and deposited the chocolate wand inside it. 

“To take some of the bitterness away,” he added, wiggling his eyebrows.

Eita knew Satori was a bit of a sadist – hell, who didn’t – but he had always considered him a friend. An odd friend, for sure, but there was nothing very commonplace about the Ravenclaw students, and it was easy to get used to their brand of weirdness when you weren’t that normal yourself.

Right then, however, he felt that mockery cutting deep, like he’d exposed some vulnerable part of himself only for Satori to twist his knife inside his chest.

He pushed the half-broken wand into Satori and broke into a run, ignoring Reon’s well-meaning questions as he took off towards the stairs. He barged into their room and jumped into his bed with clothes and shoes, hiding behind the blue curtains – and sat there, staring at his bed window and trying to convince himself those weren’t tears prickling his eyes.

He was so stupid. Why couldn’t he take this sensibly. Why couldn’t he take this like an adult.

Why couldn’t he be good enough so this wouldn’t have happened in the first place.

“Eita-kun?”

Oh, Merlin’s baggy Y-fronts.

“Go away, Satori.” He didn’t want to hear the other boy say he’d meant no harm.

Of course, because it was Satori, “go away” translated into him coming closer, stopping just short of opening the blue curtains separating Eita from the Ravenclaw Tower at large. Eita thought the other boy would shove them open – the way he usually did when they all had morning practice, throwing himself at Eita’s bed like some sort of maniac early bird – but was surprised when only the tips of Satori’s fingers poked through the drapes. 

“I wasn’t trying to make you upset,” Satori mumbled.  

“I’m not upset,” Eita said automatically, scooting backwards in bed. 

“Of course you’re upset. Or did you just run screaming for your room because Wakatoshi-kun and Kenjirou were too lovey-dovey for your taste?” 

“…I wasn’t screaming.” He felt even more like a child after that. 

Something about his ensuing silence had disturbed Satori, apparently; now his whole hand was poking through the drapes, moving around as if it wanted to find something. 

“You know, it’s OK if you’re upset.” 

Eita felt that vulnerable place in himself start to bleed. “I’m not upset.” He paused, felt a very painful breath break out of his throat. “It’s better that way.” 

Satori’s hand finally found what it was looking for: it enveloped Eita’s hand in a chilly grip, fingertips running over his wrist. “ _Anyone_ would be upset at losing the starting spot on the team.” 

“I’m not—” 

The grip on Eita’s hand tightened. “Just because you understand why Wakatoshi-kun did it – it doesn’t mean you can’t feel upset, or that you have to party if you don’t want to.” A small sigh. “I brought you the chocolate ‘cause I wanted you to forget, but if you don’t wanna forget and mope, it’s OK too. It really is.” 

“That’s not—” 

He thought of things to say, anything that might get Satori off his back, but the only things coming to his mind were the times he’d enjoyed being with the team – the morning practices in which everyone looked half-dead, the big group hug just after Eita’s fingers had closed around the Snitch, the laughter and the jokes and the feeling of _belonging_ somewhere.

“I miss playing with you.”

The hand holding his gripped even tighter. “I miss playing with you too.”

The warmth from those fingers seemed to seep through Eita’s wrist all the way to his shoulder – and forward, to his chest and neck and face, and he suddenly realized his cheeks were heating up.

“Satori,” he said loudly, trying to smother that tingly sensation in his hand. “Go to the party. You deserve it.”

“…If I must,” Satori chuckled. His hand released Eita’s and disappeared from the curtains.

Eita was tempted to grab it back.

“I’ll save you some chocolate, OK? And feel welcome to take any of the books under my bed. Especially the naughty ones.”

“…Will do.”

Eita counted the other boy’s footsteps as they traveled the length of the room. Each beat resonated in the hollow space of his chest.

“And, Semi-Semi?” Satori had stopped by the door.

“What?”

“You’re still a damn good Seeker.”

There was a click of the door closing, and Eita started trying to figure out just why the tingly warmth inside his skin hadn’t gone away yet.

* * *

Eita had realized he was attracted to men in his fifth year, inside the Prefects’ Bathroom; it had made for a very awkward bath, and he hadn’t been able to look his fellow Prefects in the eye for weeks afterwards. He wasn’t ashamed of it anymore, but it was still hard not to remember that moment during meetings.

Especially when Head Boy Iwaizumi had the sleeves of his robes rolled back.

“So, everyone, I think if we pay attention to these problematic students, the duels in the hallways should be reduced about 30% during Christmas.” His biceps were showing as he gestured and… Eita couldn’t be the _only_ one distracted, right? “Can I count on everyone to do this? Does anyone disagree?”

Of course no one didn’t. Iwaizumi’s arms were just so _nice._

“So – do you guys have anything else—”

“I’m a little bit worried about the Christmas decoration schedule,” Hufflepuff Prefect Moniwa said. He was leaner than Iwaizumi, but he had those perfect black curls that Eita knew all the girls in his House swooned over. “I mean, between NEWT’s and the Quidditch season, I’m sort of… swamped? I want to know my schedule so I can prepare before.”

“We’ll be giving you the schedule this week,” Shimizu, the Head Girl from Gryffindor, answered. “Of course, because of OWL’s and NEWT’s, we’ll be relying more on our 6th years, but I believe everyone will be able to fulfill their duties without being overwhelmed.”

Behind her, Hufflepuff’s Futakuchi made a face, but Moniwa sent him a stern look before he could protest.

Iwaizumi looked between them, but kept going. “If no one else has any questions, I guess this meeting is over? Unless there are any objections—”

“Class starts in fifteen,” Gryffindor’s Tsukishima said loudly.

“Oh, shit. Then, OK, we’ll contact you during the week, let’s get going, everyone!”

He shooed them off with gestures, and even his nice arms couldn’t make Eita forget that he only had fifteen minutes to eat something and make it to the greenhouses; he nodded to his fellow Prefects and hurried along towards the Great Hall, wondering whether a piece of toast would be enough to keep him up till lunch.

He apparently wasn’t the only one in a hurry; after he turned the first corridor, he realized Gryffindor’s other 7th year Prefect, Sugawara, was matching his pace with a determined twist of lips.

“Feeling hungry, too?” he asked. He liked Sugawara – he was confident without being stuck-up, which was more than anyone could say about most of the Prefects. 

“Yes, but I have Divination as my first class,” Sugawara said with a rueful smile. “If I don’t run I won’t make it in time.”

Eita grimaced in sympathy.

They reached the end of the hallway and stopped to wait for the staircase; as they waited, Eita felt Sugawara’s light touch on his shoulder.

“Semi-kun? I actually wanted to ask you something…”

“What is it?”

“I… How are you doing? After the game, I mean.”

Eita had to fight to keep the surprise off his face. “…Why?”

The rueful smile showed up again. “I know what it’s like to be replaced as a Seeker and then watch your team win. Just wanted to make sure you were OK.”

It was weird, to see that form of concern coming from someone he only talked to sporadically, when everyone else in his team had been avoiding the subject when he was around—

—Well, everyone but Satori.

“I – I think I’m fine?” At Sugawara’s doubtful look, he amended: “Of course, I’m disappointed. And – frustrated. But I think I’m adjusting.”

Sugawara looked thoughtful as they climbed down the stairs. “I was _extremely_ frustrated at first. It took me a while until I could watch them play and not be sore about it. I think I’m mostly fine now, though it helps that Kageyama is – he really is an amazing Seeker. You’d have to be blind not to see it.”

“Shirabu is very good too.” The admission felt like a lump in Eita’s throat.

Sugawara gave his shoulder a friendly squeeze. “If you want to talk about it, you can talk to me.” His smile turned a little mischievous. “I’m sure we can find a quiet place to swear at everyone and plan our revenge.”

Eita had to laugh at that. “Probably.”

They reached the hallway on the other side and turned – only to almost crash into someone who had been running in the opposite direction.

It was the Gryffindor’s team captain, Sawamura, holding a handkerchief package in his hands and looking from one boy to the other with a huge grin on his face.

“Daichi!” Sugawara said with eyebrows raised. “What are you doing here, you should be going to the North Tower!”

“I know, but if we run we can still get there in time,” Sawamura answered, his grin not faltering even a bit. “I brought you breakfast.”

And he opened the handkerchief package to show two spicy sausage tartelettes and what looked like chocolate gateau.

It was weird to watch from an outsider’s point of view; the way Sugawara’s eyes lit up as he thanked Sawamura profusely, and how the other boy’s face opened in such a naked display of affection Eita almost had to turn away. He couldn’t remember ever being this happy just because someone had brought him food, and then Sugawara reached up and pecked Sawamura in the lips and— _oh._

“I guess we’ll be going then,” Sugawara said with the sappiest smile on his face. “See you around, Semi-kun! Please don’t forget you can talk to me.”

“OK,” Eita said, and watched dumbfounded as the two boys left, one of Sawamura’s arms wrapped securely around the other boy’s shoulder.

He remembered that, when he wasn’t on the team yet, Shirabu would always hang around training and bring things for Wakatoshi to eat, claiming he needed to be at his top form. In retrospect, Eita shouldn’t have been surprised by how close the two of them had been growing lately. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen people sharing food like that, there was—

—there was Satori.

Bringing him his favorite kind of chocolate in the party.

A chuckle burst out of Eita’s lips as he berated himself. Oh, yeah, like Satori would have such an interest on him. _I’m so ridiculous._

* * *

_I’m so fucking ridiculous._

He could repeat it to himself again and again, and he was right too – but once the thought of Satori having an interest on him had settled in, it just _wouldn’t leave._

They would be having breakfast and accidentally reach for the same plate; their hands would brush and Eita would remember and feel his face burn under Satori’s gaze. Or they would be in class and Satori would look at him – Eita would feel his eyes crawling all over his skin – and when he was bothered enough to turn to his friend, it would be to find out that Satori wanted an extra feather. Or that bowl of spider legs. Or his book of Charms, or anything else that was perfectly innocuous and left Eita feeling like a fool for reading too much into stupid everyday things.

If things had been as before, he would go ask someone else’s opinion before he started thinking himself on circles, but ever since the Quidditch tryouts, there seemed to be a wall between him and his friends. Several times Eita found himself alone with Reon and Hayato, and tried to say something, only for the words to disappear somewhere between his brain and his mouth. Even Wakatoshi’s usual aloofness seemed worse, like he was a distant mountain Eita couldn’t even dream of climbing.

The only person Eita didn’t feel detached from was Satori – Satori who would not simply sit aside and watch him become isolated. He liked to tease, to poke him and laugh, but he also seemed to be the most attuned to their bad moments. He was the only one who could tell when Wakatoshi was in a bad mood, or when Kawanishi desperately needed space and didn’t know how to ask, when to stop joking and just praise Goshiki’s abilities and how to stop Shirabu from getting worked up by the other team’s provocations. It stood to reason that he would not leave Eita if Eita was feeling down.

He was projecting. It had to be it, projecting, seeing too much in what was probably just Satori’s attempt to make things right again. And just what he would do if he ruined his friendship with the one person who made him feel himself these days, over things he wasn’t even sure how to address?

It was probably why he felt a chill run down his spine when Satori looked up from his book during the 7th years’ joint Herbology study session, and spoke:

“Guys, who wants to go with me to Gladrags next Hogsmeade weekend? I need to buy me a new set of dress robes.”

“I apologize, but I won’t be able to. I’m set up for a tutoring session with the fifth years.”

“Wakatoshi-kun, I can’t believe you set up a study session on a Hogsmeade weekend,” Satori said, his mouth twitching. “Those poor little things!”

“It was the only window in my schedule,” Wakatoshi said, a slightly puzzled expression in his face. “They’re aware of the importance of a balanced studying schedule.”

“Not everyone sees studying in black and white like you do, you know. What about you, my faithful Keeper?”

“He can’t,” Reon answered before Hayato even opened his mouth. “He has that—”

“—Detention, right,” Satori finished, and started cackling – as he was wont to do whenever he remembered Hayato’s little mishap.

The Keeper in question sent Reon a mutinous look, a blush creeping up all the way to his ears. “Look, it’s not my fault that the Potions dungeon is the only place I could test my energy-restoring tonic—”

“But it _is_ your fault that you decided to try it during the actual class,” Reon pointed out.

“And it is your fault that you put too much Boom Berry juice and exploded your own cauldron,” Wakatoshi replied, without looking up from his essay. “Azumane had a lot of problems with those horns on his head.”

“I _told_ him I was sorry,” Hayato said grumpily, as Satori laughed harder and Reon chuckled.

Even Eita felt the corners of his mouth move upwards… but the smile was dropped quickly after Reon spoke: “I can’t go either, Satori, I promised to help Washijou-sensei with cataloguing his personal library. But I think Eita is free – aren’t you, Eita?”

It was strange to see himself so suddenly in the spotlight, everyone’s eyes turned to him. Eita’s mind went blank, and he didn’t have time to think of anything but the truth: “Yeah, I’m free.”

“Cool!” Satori celebrated. “Come with me? You won’t regret it, Semi-Semi. I’ll even buy you a shot of fire—I mean, a bottle of butterbeer, of course,” he amended, with a glance at Wakatoshi.

Who seemed unperturbed. “You two are of age. As long as you’re not drunk when you come back to the castle, feel free to do as you wish.”

“Awesome!” Satori threw up his arms. “What about it, Semi-Semi?”

“I – I guess it’s OK.”

“ _Awesome!_ It’s a date, then.”

A _date._ Eita cursed himself as he felt his face heating up. It didn’t have to mean anything romantic, and, even if it did, he didn’t _have_ to act like a 11-year-old—

—but, actually, this might be a good idea. The whole arrangement had caught him by surprise, but it was true that he had a golden opportunity to observe Satori’s behavior. Maybe, if he saw enough evidence that Satori wasn’t interested, he would be able to get this ridiculous idea out of his head. If it happened in a traditionally romantic setting, all the better, right?

 _Right,_ he told himself firmly, and turned all of his attention to the essay in poisonous mushrooms he was supposed to be writing – ignoring that bubbly feeling inside his chest, knowing that Satori was watching him.

* * *

Cool as a cucumber. That was what he was going to do during this Hogsmeade visit. Play cool as a cucumber.

To his credit, he maintained that attitude during most of the morning, as he went through his own scheduled review of Bird-Conjuring Charms, and then as he cleaned up the mess he’d made of their room afterwards, up until lunch ended and the two of them headed out to the front gate to join the line of students heading out to Hogsmeade.

Then they stepped outside, and he looked at Satori – in his Hogwarts robes, Ravenclaw scarf securely wrapped around his neck so only his eyes and nose were visible – and his skin grew hot from the tip of his toes to the roots of his hair, because, fucking hell, this _felt_ like a date.

“You OK there, Eita-kun?” Satori asked puzzled. “You went bright red all of a sudden.”

“…Just cold.”

Eita started to walk down the road, but had to stop when he realized his friend was not accompanying him; he turned to see Satori with his wand in one hand – and scarves on the other.

Not one scarf. _Scarves._

“Let me wrap these around you,” and the tips of Satori’s fingers were icy against the skin of his neck. “My Conjuring is shitty, but I think they’ll keep you warm till we come back.”

The scarves in question had the Ravenclaw colors, but in a polka dot pattern that was actually really cute, if you thought about it, and Eita wondered about the odds of a person spontaneously combusting without any magic involved. It seemed increasingly likely by the second.

Once Satori was satisfied with Eita’s general state, he started pulling him to the village, an arm around his neck, twisting this way and that as he did when he was excited. It wasn’t anything new – it was just Satori being Satori – but, that day, Satori being Satori seemed to bring a whole lot of uncalled sensations along. Eita was hyper-aware of his grip and his smile and that obnoxious laughter that seemed to be burrowing inside his body, making his heart jump like a rabbit. When they finally got to Gladrags, and disengaged off each other, Eita was feeling like he’d just run a marathon.

They moved between racks, a roll of measuring tape and scissors following them around, and Eita realized he didn’t have any idea what kind of clothes Satori wanted.

“What exactly are you looking for?”

“Oh, Mom’s having her usual Christmas party, and she’s gonna kill me if I’m not wearing new clothes. …You know how it is.”

“…I actually don’t? You never talk a lot about your mom’s Christmas parties.”

Satori sent him a bitter smile from between two racks of clothes. “Believe me, they’re not worth talking about. Just imagine the most uppity people you can imagine and imagine I’m being thrown at them like a fish to a sea of sharks, and imagine I have to behave nicely or dad will make sure I’m destitute. Go from there.”

Eita stopped for a second, unable not to wince. All the team knew that the relationship between Satori and his parents was slightly strained – they had great expectations and didn’t take it very well when Satori did not correspond –, but that venom in his friend’s voice… All this time he’d been worried about Quidditch positions and stupid feelings, and here Satori was…

“You could spend Christmas here,” he blurted out. Satori sent him a quizzical look, so he went on: “I’m going to stay here. You could stay here too.”

That smile became a little sweet now. “I wish I could, man. Pretty sure they’re gonna come invade Hogwarts if I don’t go, though.” Something must have showed on Eita’s face, because he followed that with: “But no need to worry, Semi-Semi! I’m going to make them regret their miserable existence. Subtly. It’ll be fun!”

“I don’t know,” Eita said. He caught sight of something he liked in the rack, and started trying to take it off the hanger. “Christmas should be a good time for everyone, right?” Ohhh, those robes looked snappy. “It sucks that yours is going to be a bother.”

“Oh, it’s been like that since I— _what_ is this thing?”

Eita straightened the robes out and showed them to Satori. They were a party-like kind of purple, bright and cheery, with details in neon green that gave the whole thing a vintage vibe. If fun was what his friend was going for, then definitely—

“Here, let me see,” he said, raising them in the air so the measuring tape and scissors could adjust the thing to Satori’s form. “I think these will look great on you – why are you laughing?”

Because Satori was having a fit of giggles.

“Oh my God, Semi-Semi,” he said, taking the robes in hand and looking at them in an almost… _fond_ way? “I mean, look at this?”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“You honestly don’t know? One-hundred percent honestly?”

This time, Eita knew very well why his face was warm. “You either tell me what’s wrong with this thing or, God help me, I’m gonna—”

“Oh, Semi-Semi,” Satori said with a sigh, as if he was commenting on a natural disaster. “I really love you and all, but your taste in fashion is _lame._ ”

“What?! I’ll have you know that I—” and then Eita’s brain caught up with the first part of the sentence, and he forgot how to actually pronounce the words; what came out of his mouth was something like: “—glaaaargh.”

Satori – who had moved back to the clothes rack and was now fishing out some drab thing in dark red – turned to him with a raised eyebrow: “You all right there, Eita-kun?”

Eita just nodded. He didn’t know what sort of voice would come out.

He remained in silence through the rest of their stay in the store, as Satori tried on the dark red robes and had them adjusted, and then as he paid way more than he probably should on them. He was still silent as they left for the snowy street, and did not say anything as Satori gently steered him towards the Three Broomsticks – he was too occupied mentally slapping himself.

Satori had made a joke. That was all it was, a joke. He didn’t need to feel that _uneasy_ because of a joke… although, _uneasy_ wasn’t the word he’d use to describe himself right then. _Expectant_ might be a better word.

 _Hopeful_ might be an even better word.

“Hey, look, it’s Semi-senpai and Tendou-senpai!”

The sound of steps made Eita look up, to see their underclassmen waving frantically in front of the Three Broomsticks. Though, actually, only Goshiki was waving; Shirabu seemed to be burying his face in his hands, and Kawanishi just looked neutral as always.

“Hey, Tsutomu!” Satori high-fived their youngest Chaser. “Managed to escape Wakatoshi’s study session?”

Goshiki’s expression was between uncomfortable and defiant. “I don’t need Ushijima-san’s tutoring! My grades are fine!” A smile broke into his face suddenly. “Hey, you guys want to come with us inside? Hinata-kun’s been raving about this cherry syrup thing and I wanna try!”

For some reason, hearing that brought a sharp sting of disappointment.

It took a moment to realize why that was – a moment spent watching Goshiki make a lot of gestures as Satori and the 6th years watched him bemusedly – but, when he did, what was just mild discontent became full-blown icy panic, freezing him from the inside out as he stood very still in the snow.

 _Of course._ Of course he was reading too much into Satori’s gestures. Of course he was spending all his time thinking about their friendship, the touches they traded, his cool eyes locking on him as if they could read everything. Of course he was disappointed they wouldn’t be spending any more time on their own that day.

He had a crush on Satori, after all.

* * *

The following three weeks were some of the busiest in Eita’s life.

He took as many shifts of Christmas decoration and hallway patrolling as he could, which earned him more than a few concerned questions from Shimizu that he barely managed to dodge. He spent mornings and afternoons between classes and hanging festoons, candy canes and turning things red, white and green; late evenings were spent walking around with Gryffindor’s Ennoshita (who was very good company), Slytherin’s Yahaba (who was also very good company if you managed to steer the topic away from Quidditch), and Hufflepuff’s Nametsu and Futakuchi (the former telling him wild stories about the Hufflepuff team, and the latter muttering under his breath about giving away their weaknesses to enemies).

Between that, the punishing study schedule that he’d established from himself – which was mainly a copy of Wakatoshi’s – and all the extra work the teachers were handing, he was often the first to wake and the last to return to the dorm room. He barely managed to catch five hours of sleep a night, and had to rely on some of Hayato’s energy tonic to keep himself awake during Runes class.

At the end of the day, he could barely string two thoughts together; things were just the way he liked it.

His strategy not to think worked for most of December, till one day started looking like the next and he lost track of time; the start of winter break hit him squarely in the face, as he woke up one morning to find his friends’ bed made, the Common Room empty, and most of the Ravenclaw tower gone.

Given that the Christmas chores had finally ended, Eita felt like he owed himself a brief respite; he’d grabbed some books he’d been wanting to catch up on, brought one of his old worn capes to the lake, spread it on the ground, and made himself a nice reading spot, warmed by the winter sun and a nice Hot-Air Charm.

He’d done it, he thought contentedly. He’d managed to avoid Satori long enough to miss him going home for Christmas. For three weeks, he wouldn’t have to see Satori.

He wouldn’t have to see Satori. He wouldn’t have to overthink things, to feel his heart skip a beat and duck to hide the way his cheeks went red whenever they saw each other. Even better, he wouldn’t need to confront the reality that he’d somehow _imprinted_ on Satori – that he’d taken acts of honest friendship and twisted them into something to conquer his loneliness, that he was so lonely and _ridiculous_ that he’d gone and _fallen in love_ with the one person who was trying to be his friend.

That even though Satori was absent, he had been etched so deep inside his mind that Eita couldn’t even read a book for _leisure_ without letting his thoughts wander. 

Eita persisted in his task for about an hour; the third time he had to go back to try to absorb the last three pages he’d read had him admitting that he wasn’t having any success. The smart thing to do would be to go back to his room and bring forward his review of the Warlock Convention of 1289 – Merlin knew that task-based learning seemed to be the only thing able to live in his mindscape those days.

To distract himself, he made all the way back to the tower reciting the twelve uses of dragon blood; he’d gotten as far as oven cleaner before opening the door to his dorm—

—and _holy fucking shit_ Wakatoshi was in the room.  

“Semi,” the team captain said, as deadpan as usual – except for the one eyebrow that’d gone up. “You look startled.”

“You don’t say,” Eita quipped, closing his eyes to try to get his heartbeat to slow down. “Why aren’t you on the train for Christmas?”

“I’m staying here this year.”

“Why? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Now both of Wakatoshi’s eyebrows were up. “…But I did tell you?” And, at Eita’s glare. “My mother is having a formal party in our property, and I didn’t want to attend. My father is overseas on a business trip, so we won’t be able to spend Christmas together. I decided to spend Christmas here. Are you sure I haven’t told you?”

Eita thought back; he honestly didn’t remember anything, but, given the way he’d spent the last month, it was entirely possible he’d heard something about it but simply didn’t register the fact. The idea displeased him – he was more out of it than he’d imagined, if he couldn’t recall he would have company for the holidays.

He sighed, a long and drawn out thing – and Wakatoshi apparently took it as permission to move on with the conversation. “I was wondering if you have some free time right now.”

“I was planning – I mean, yes, I’ve got the whole afternoon. You want to study together?”

“Practice, actually,” Wakatoshi said, pulling out his Starsweeper from under the bed. “I understand it’s sunny outside.”

Eita opened his mouth, and then closed it.

And then opened it again.

“You want to practice?” he repeated, looking from Wakatoshi to the broom and back to Wakatoshi. “With _me?_ ”

Wakatoshi was a master of the deadpan expression, so it was usually hard to tell what he was thinking; he just looked grimly serious. “Unless you have any objections.”

Eita opened and closed his mouth a few more times. 

“I – I guess?” He went to his trunk almost in a daze; his Cleansweep had been locked inside it since October, and he had to take almost all of his robes to find it. “I do – I think I’m kinda rusty, though.”

“That should change with some training,” Wakatoshi said, with that way he had of brushing off all anxiety and coming unchallenged on the other end.

He waited for Eita to put on the right robes and the gloves he favored, and waited for him to shove all of his clothes inside his trunk again. He opened the door for Eita to leave and followed him in silence; the few Ravenclaw students who had remained in the tower were looking at them as they passed by.

They had almost made it outside when Wakatoshi finally spoke: “Tendou has called my attention to an issue.”

Eita’s heart felt like it was going to leap out of his chest. Surely Satori didn’t – there was no way he couldn’t – and why would he tell Wakatoshi if he did –

“He said that the reason why you’ve isolated yourself from the team is that you don’t feel welcome anymore.”

At first, Eita wasn’t sure whether he’d heard it right; it seemed impossible that the man he’d once compared to a cold mountain was just turning and _acknowledging_ his feelings. But it was impossible not to see Wakatoshi’s serious gaze for what it was – the eyes of someone who recognized a problem and were trying to deal with it.

He felt the words leaving his mouth. “I don’t need your pity, Wakatoshi. Or Satori’s.”

Wakatoshi’s voice was slightly perplexed. “I don’t see what you’re calling pity. I’m just trying to ascertain whether what Tendou said was true.”

“I’m not part of the team,” Eita said curtly. “You two don’t need to treat me as if I were.” 

Silence fell over them again; for a moment, Eita thought that maybe he’d convinced Wakatoshi to drop the matter, and they would spend the following days as they usually did – studying and not talking.

So he was startled when Wakatoshi abruptly said: “Shirabu took over your position and I didn’t address this issue with you properly. That’s why you don’t feel part of the team anymore.”

“…You _did_ address it with me. You said we needed to change our strategy if we wanted to counter Gryffindor’s new techniques and Oikawa. So you thought we should bet on a faster Seeker that could easily move between players rather than me. I told you, I understand.”

“Apparently, you do, but you don’t seem to understand that – you know that none of us thinks less of your abilities?" 

Eita couldn’t help but snort. “Oh, please, flattery will get you nowhere.”

Some frustration seeped into Wakatoshi’s voice. “I’m not flattering you, I’m stating a _fact._ None of us thinks less of your abilities. They might not work into our strategy this year, but you still are an outstanding Seeker. I feel at ease knowing that I can count of you if there’s a problem with Shirabu.”

Eita risked a look at the other boy’s features; he had that intense look he got whenever he was trying to convince Oikawa he was wasted on Slytherin, or when he was facing Gryffindor’s miniature chaser.

“I value your input,” he continued. “Your experience and your eye for strategy are vital. When you stopped coming to training, I assumed that you didn’t want to play in a backup capacity, but Tendou told me the actual reason was that you felt like you weren’t up to par with us – and it seems he was right.”

Eita pursed his lips in angry distress. “I know the team doesn’t need a Seeker like me now.”

“Nonsense. You might not be in the starting position, but you are still important,” Wakatoshi said with a voice that brooked no argument. “As of the end of the winter break, I’d like you to start attending training again.”

Eita opened his mouth, and then closed it.

And then opened it again.

“…All right.”

* * *

"OK, everyone, that’s enough for today!”

They all started to fly down at Wakatoshi’s shout, and it was something Eita hadn’t felt in a long time; a good kind of exhaustion, one that made his muscles scream while his mind  went peacefully blank. He had missed this, so much.

One by one, the team reached the ground, exchanging praises and slaps in the back; it had been a good practice. Eita leaned his Cleansweep towards the ground and dropped until he could feel the tips of his shoes touching the blades of grass. From his advantage point, he could watch Shirabu fly close to Wakatoshi, landing by his side as the captain engaged him in conversation.

That is, he could watch it until someone tackled him to the ground and the both of them went rolling away.

“Merlin’s pants, _Satori!_ ” Eita shouted when he realized just who was above him, his whole skin flushing warm—

—and then growing cold when he caught sight of Satori’s evil grin.

“ _Everyone make an Eita pile!_ ” Satori yelled.

 _Thump – thump – thump_ – Goshiki, Reon and Hayato added to the weight on top of Eita, who couldn’t breathe between all the people piled on his stomach, the proximity of Satori’s skin, and the fact that he was caught between not wanting to laugh and wanting to kick them, that herd of _idiots—_

“Cut it out!” Wakatoshi barked. “If you crush him he can’t attend training anymore.”

That drew a snort out of Eita’s lips, and Satori started his evil cackle, and they were all laughing as they climbed off each other; Reon offered him a hand up, and Eita hadn’t felt such a lightness in his heart for _months._

The sight of Shirabu and Kawanishi leaving – followed by a running Goshiki – did ease the curve of his lips, though.

“Why the frowny face, Semi-Semi?”

Eita turned to Satori, and felt the blood rush to his face again at being watched. God, this just _had_ to stop if he was really going to be back on the team…

“Nothing.” At that, Satori, Hayato and even Reon made disbelieving faces; Eita rolled his eyes, then checked to see if Wakatoshi was on hearing range. Upon realizing he had apparently gone ahead, he continued: “I just think Shirabu isn’t listening to me enough.”

“Why is that?” Hayato asked, as they all went to pick up the box with the Quaffle and bludgers; he lifted it from one side, Eita lifted it from another, and they carried it inside to the equipment room.

“Well, I think the thing I can do best right now is help him, right?” he said. “So since Wakatoshi wants me to come back, I thought I’d focus on giving him advice.”

“Let me guess, Shirabu doesn’t like advice.”

“He just keeps looking at me like I’m some sort of idiot!” Eita snapped frustrated. “He says, ‘Yes, I’ll do that’, and then he doesn’t _do_ anything! It’s like – I’m a loser he shouldn’t listen to!”

“Oh, c’mon, Eita, I’m sure Shirabu doesn’t really think that,” Reon said placatingly. “He’s just the stubborn kind.”

“You know how he’s like, he’d rather die than admit he needed help from anyone,” Hayato commented as they dropped the box.

“Anyone except Wakatoshi-kun, that is,” Satori added with a sly smile.

Eita winced. “How am I going to be able to help him like that? It doesn’t make any sense for me to come to training if I can’t even get to him.”

Reon put a calming hand on his back as they walked outside. “Now, now, I think you’re underestimating Shirabu. He doesn’t _like_ to admit he needs help, but that doesn’t mean he’s not listening.”

“Listening doesn’t help any if he doesn’t put it into practice.”

“Oh, Semi-Semi, you’ll get frown lines like that,” Satori said, traipsing in front of him and touching the corner of his eyes. “What about we start worrying less about Shirabu and more about what we’re gonna have for breakfast? I can hear your empty stomach from here.”

Eita just grunted, but the responding pang inside of him made him swallow his reply.

The four of them didn’t talk much as they walked back to the castle. It was probably why they heard the angry voices so quickly, and were able to determine what was happening even before they saw the two groups next to the Front Hall door.

January was usually a difficult month for Ravenclaw and Slytherin students. With the second match of the season approaching, the tension between the two Houses increased and often spilled into very loud discussions at breakfast, hallway duels, and an assorted number of pranks. Things had gotten even worse since Oikawa and Wakatoshi became team captains; their personal vendetta had bled into the whole of Hogwarts, and there probably wasn’t a single student who didn’t have a side when it came to their fights.

It was still surprising to find their underclassmen players caught in what looked like a glaring contest with five players from the Slytherin team.

As Prefect, Eita rushed closer and managed to contain his frustrated expression; the idiot in front, Kyoutani, was a recent addition to the team and a skilled Chaser, but he was also on the “difficult students list” all Prefects were supposed to watch for. Easy to anger and quick to retaliate, he’d been the center of more than a few altercations the year before. It was probably why him and Goshiki looked just about ready to duke it out.

Eita felt a little relieved when he caught sight of Yahaba, though; there was at least one sane person involved.  

“Yahaba? What’s happening here?” he asked, putting on his responsible Prefect’s voice.

Shirabu and Kawanishi didn’t acknowledge his arrival, and neither did the two Slytherin 5th years; the Keeper, Watari, did look guilty, but not more than Goshiki, who started spluttering the minute Eita spoke. Yahaba was not as obvious – there wasn’t anyone as obvious as Goshiki – but the blush on his face said enough about his feelings on the situation.

What blindsided Eita was the murderous eyes the Kyoutani kid turned on him.

“Nothing is happening,” he said in a surly tone. “Got it under control.”

The _nerve._

Eita glanced aside to see Shirabu taut as a string, and Kawanishi with one hand raised as if poised to hold him back. He needed to defuse the situation. “You OK there, Shirabu?”

Before Shirabu could answer, Kyoutani stepped forward, his face screaming condescendence. “It’s not enough that he stole your position, you still have to follow him around and _babysit_? Don’t you have any fucking pride?”

A few choice words jumped to his head at that – like, “at least I didn’t leave the team because I couldn’t _play nice_ _in the sandbox_ ”, or, “is that how you make yourself feel better about losing to Ravenclaw all the time?” –, and his voice was thrumming with anger inside his throat, because what did this little shit _know_ about his _pride_ —

“I don’t get what you’re saying, Kyoutani-kun.” An arm wrapped around Eita’s shoulders. “You think Semi-Semi here should just stop talking to Kenjirou? Backup players shouldn’t follow the starters around?”

“I’m saying it’s ridiculous to pretend to be part of the team when you’re not even in the—” and he closed his mouth suddenly as he realized what he was saying.

The damage had already been done, though; the other Slytherin players were all grimacing, and Yahaba’s expression had turned from guilty to _fuming_.

“C’mon, _Kyoutani_ ,” he said, voice deadly. “Finish your thought.”

“Wait, I—”

“What, weren’t you going to say only the starting players are _really_ in the team? Because Kunimi and I have better things to do, if that’s the case.”

“ _No,_ that wasn’t what I—”

“Sure sounded like it, though.”

“Dammit, Shigeru, won’t you shut up and—”

“Oh, _I’m_ the one who’s got to shut up? You know what? _Fuck you_ , then _._ ” And, with that, Yahaba barreled past the blond Chaser, opened the door to the Front Hall, and, judging by the sound of his steps, sprinted towards the dungeons.

After that, the only noise around came from Kyoutani, who was rubbing his hands through his hair and going through a chain of swear words. Before anyone could ask if he was feeling okay, he started for the Front Door, and, in less than a second, was already running after Yahaba.

Eventually, Reon broke the silence: “…Are they going to be all right?”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Watari said. “They always make up later.” The look in his eyes indicated he was one-hundred percent done with the situation. “Kindaichi, Kunimi, let’s go practice.”

He started towards the Quidditch field, the 5th years trailing behind him like lost ducklings.

When they were out of hearing range, Goshiki exploded. “Senpai, I’m so sorry, we really weren’t looking for a fight! Kawanishi-senpai was making a joke, and those guys heard, and I couldn’t let them speak about Ushijima-senpai like that, I didn’t mean to—”

“Don’t worry,” Eita said tiredly. He felt like he’d gone through a whole week since the start of that morning. “Nothing actually happened, so let’s just pretend no one said anything.”

“Wise words, Eita-kun,” Satori sing-sang. “No one is hurt, so no harm has been done.”

“The poor kids – that just there was evil, Satori,” Hayato said with a bemused frown.

And Eita finally had the time to look at Satori. His arm was still around Eita’s shoulders; he had a satisfied grin on his face, every line of his body singing with contentment.

“Well, I couldn’t let that bastard just say something like that to my Semi-Semi, could I?” he said, a thumb caressing Eita’s collarbone. “Not on my watch.”

* * *

The only class they had with the 7th years from Gryffindor was Potions.

In practice, that meant Eita had to fidget through more than an hour of following instructions that seemed to be getting more difficult by the minute; it also meant his attempt at a Muffling Draught was only passable at most, and he had to duck his eyes when delivering a bottle of the stuff for Irihata-sensei.

He lingered behind when the class bell rung, and made a quick sign for Reon and the rest to go ahead, and pretended he did not see Satori glance at him before leaving the class.

The Gryffindors were waiting for Azumane to finish packing; they seemed to be deep in conversation, but stopped when they saw Eita approach.

“Sugawara-kun,” Eita said, after an awkward wave in their general direction. “You… got a minute?”

“Do I—oh! Of course!” Sugawara beamed. “Daichi, Asahi, why don’t you two go ahead – Semi-kun, are we – why don’t you two go ahead and we’ll meet in the Great Hall afterwards? Semi-kun and I have to find a nice place to talk.”

It was probably a testament to their friendship that the two Gryffindors didn’t make any questions; in fact, Azumane even… wished him luck?… as he left, and Eita felt a little embarrassed at admitting to himself that he probably needed some.

He and Sugawara wound up in a small classroom in the Transfiguration Department, the Gryffindor Prefect acting like he’d done things like that many times before – closing the door with a practiced motion and choosing a student desk to seat on, then looking at Eita with an expression that was both eager and comforting at the same time. It left him feeling like a lunatic.

“So,” he started in a cautious tone.

And wasn’t sure of how to continue.

“…So,” Sugawara went on, after realizing nothing else was coming. “I assume this has to do with our conversation three months ago, right?”

“Yeah. _Yeah._ I – I wanted – I came to you because you’re the only person I know who’s been in the same position I am now. And – I needed an unbiased point of view.”

“OK. So there’s a problem.”

“…Yes, there’s a problem. I – shit, I don’t even know where to begin.”

Sugawara looked thoughtful at that. “Maybe – can you tell me when did you first notice the problem?”

Eita thought about it, and nodded. 

When he started, everything came out in a rush.

He told Sugawara everything; about Satori’s arms through the curtain, the hand gripping his, the food in his mouth. He told him about how he felt close to him even when he was far from everyone else, about the date and Wakatoshi, and about how _glad_ Eita had felt when he saw that devious smile getting off the Hogwarts Express when the holidays were over.

He told Sugawara about Satori defending him, about how stupidly _happy_ he had felt at being declared someone to protect—

“—he does these things, and I can’t help but see interest in all of them, you know? He says I’m his and he’s going to defend me, and I can’t – I can’t think clearly. I just keep wishing for him to actually _have_ feelings for me, and it’s – it’s sort of spilling out into everything we do together, and I don’t know how to make it go away. I – I think I need to – I don’t know what I need to—”

“Semi-kun, first of all, what you need to do is breathe.”

Sugawara made a gesture most advanced-level students were used to; it was the breathing technique nurse Saeko taught everyone to deal with stress organically. Eita inhaled, exhaled… inhaled and exhaled.

“Are you feeling better now?” Sugawara asked. At Eita’s hesitant nod, he continued: “Now, you told me a lot of things and I might not have grasped them all right, but it seems to me you’re overlooking a very simple explanation.”

“What?”

“You’ve been telling me how you’ve been ‘projecting’ feelings onto Tendou-kun, and ‘reading too much’ into what he does… But isn’t there a possibility that you’re actually right?”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t there a possibility that he actually likes you, as you are? And that you like him back?”

Eita wondered if one could actually hear their brain break. “…Stop pulling my leg.”

Sugawara just smiled. “You know, when Daichi and I started, well, flirting, so to say, there were times I just panicked. I thought there was no way Daichi could be into me – everyone thought he and Michimiya-san were going to be a couple! Why would he be interested in me? But one thing about being a Gryffindor is that you learn to trust your gut… And who knew, I was actually right about him being interested.”

“But – I’m not – don’t you think I’m just seeing what I wanna see?”

“Can you honestly tell me he never acted like that before this whole team thing happened?”

Well, Satori had always been a touchy-feely sort of person. A twisted kind of touchy-feely, who liked to play pranks and invade his space, but was also somehow overly attuned to his well-being… always with the hugs and the touches, seeking him out among the rest of the team… why, sometimes he thought Satori might just be his best friend…

“C’mon. Why would he even be interested in me?”

For the first time, Sugawara looked impatient. “Oh, please, Semi-kun. You can’t tell me you don’t know you’re attractive.”

“I – well—”

“And you’re nice, and kind, and understanding. You take your duties seriously and you’re loyal to your friends and your team. You’re also very good at conversation, even if you don’t do so well at talking about feelings. Why wouldn’t he be interested on you?”

Breaking. His brain was definitely falling apart. “You’re kidding me.”

Sugawara shook his head. “I’m certainly not. And I think that, instead of just stressing by yourself about things you can’t change, maybe you should talk to Tendou-kun. Instead of just imagining how he’s feeling, you should see what _he_ has to say for himself.”

* * *

The Quidditch stands were all painted in blue and green.

From inside the locker room, they could already hear the cheers of the attending crowd, and, even though he wasn’t actually going to play, Eita could feel the restlessness building deep inside his limbs.

It seemed to echo in everyone. They talked in hushed tones and sat close together; Goshiki was probably going to tear a hole into the floor at the rhythm he was pacing, and even Wakatoshi looked nervous – though, in him, this translated into rigid shoulders and unblinking eyes. They all knew how important this game was; it was a match of pride as much as a chase for points.

It was a sobering thought, Eita reflected as he glanced again at Satori. His “crush” – and wasn’t it weird to think of him like that? – was making his best effort not to look anxious… which meant he looked downright frantic as he babbled about something or other, his hands moving around like wild birds.

For once, Eita felt like being detached was a good thing. “Hey,” he said softly, and caught those flying hands between his. “Why are you even nervous? You _know_ you’re gonna be amazing.”

Satori couldn’t help but snort, as they traded a glance. Things between them had been a little self-conscious since Kyoutani, and the look in the Beater’s reddish-brown eyes seemed to hold a thousand questions for them.

Eita inhaled, exhaled.

“After the game, I want to speak with you.”

Satori’s eyes went wide. He nodded slowly, like Eita might run away if his movements were too brusque, and opened his mouth to answer – only to be interrupted by Wakatoshi.

“Everyone,” their captain said, rising from the bench.

All of them stood to attention, even Eita. Wakatoshi seemed to survey their faces, his eyes lingering here and there. He must have been satisfied with what he saw, because he moved on:

"I believe we are currently the strongest team here at Hogwarts.” He regarded them all with his serious face. “That said, Slytherin has the strongest claim to this title after us. They will be desperate to turn this game around after their loss to Gryffindor. We have prepared for this. If we play as we usually play – no less than that – victory will be ours without a doubt.”

“Let’s show them they all should have been sorted to Ravenclaw,” Satori added cheekily, to everyone’s jittery laughter – and Wakatoshi’s serious nod.

The whistle sounded outside; Eita looked at them, the straight line of their backs, and felt an inexplicable pride swell up in his chest.

He squeezed Satori’s hand one more time. “Good luck.”

“I promise I’m gonna hit Kyoutani in the nose for you,” was Satori’s whispered reply.

Eita couldn’t stop the smirk from taking over his face.

Before he left, Eita held Shirabu by the shoulder. “Hey.”

Shirabu had a look of barely hidden irritation on his face. “What?” he asked, voice tense.

Eita remembered the first time he’d faced Oikawa, that smug face taunting him across the field; he remembered the pressure he felt at the reverent look the other Slytherin players gave their captain.

He decided not to increase that weight. “You’ll do just fine, you know.”

It was worth it to see the look of unguarded surprise on Shirabu’s face; that, and the small, hesitant nod he gave before running off the locker room after Kawanishi.

Eita could hear the narrator saying everyone’s names as he ran to the stands; he could see the rise of their brooms as he found Sugawara among all the Hogwarts students clogging the place, and sat at his side in the seat the Gryffindor had saved for him. He wrapped his scarf more securely against his face, and watched as the teams faced each other, Wakatoshi’s glare against Oikawa’s ferocious expression.

Then Coach Ukai blew the whistle again, and the match started.

* * *

The party seemed like it was going to go all night.

Apparently, someone had sneaked into Hogsmeade _again,_ because there were even more bottles of butterbeer than in the party before. It wasn’t exactly right, but even Ravenclaws had their breaking point – and it was apparently when Wakatoshi’s team managed to beat Oikawa’s one last time.

It was impossible to resist the mood; Eita was _happy._

Slytherin had played well, of course. They had a perfect balance of defense and attack, kept scoring point after point and dodging Bludgers with expert movements… but even the best team in the world could not win easily without catching the Snitch, and, for all of Shirabu’s simple style of playing, he was faster and more aerodynamic than Oikawa. When he caught the golden ball between the two Slytherin Beaters – and collided with one right afterwards –, the whole of Ravenclaw had exploded into cheers.

The play made Shirabu the star of the evening, all the students hanging on his every word, so Eita was surprised when he disentangled himself off everyone to pull him aside.

“Just wanted to say – that is – I – thank you.” And, after a pause: “Senpai.”

Maybe he wasn’t looking at him as he said it… and maybe he would never admit that the training exercises and the strategy meetings had helped, but it didn’t matter; at that moment, Eita felt irrationally proud of him.

It was easy to lose himself in the conversation afterwards, to laugh along with everyone and share in the warmth of that joy; so easy, in fact, that he almost forgot why he had been waiting for that night in the first place.

The sight of Satori sneaking away to the stairwell reminded him.

He tried not to make it too obvious, and waited for a while, but the fact that neither Reon nor Hayato asked him where he was going when he rose was probably indicative of how successful he was.

Satori was sitting on his bed, long legs swaying back and forth – but Eita’s appearance at the dorm room made his head shoot up, his whole body tense.

It wasn’t something Eita liked to see. “Is – is there anything wrong?”

“You tell me!” There was something manic in Satori’s smile. “Just here waiting for you!”

Eita felt the joy from before dissipate. “I didn’t want to make you anxious, Satori. What I have to say – it’s not that important.”

That, for some reason, seemed to calm Satori down; his shoulders relaxed, and he shot Eita an unamused look. “How am I going to know if it’s important if you don’t say it, Semi-Semi?” He averted his eyes. “Please give me a little credit. I’m not made of glass.”

And many thoughts occurred to Eita – that he didn’t want to bother Satori, to get him worried or stressed because of his own insecurities – but that was what Sugawara had warned him against, wasn’t it? Making up stuff in his head. Not letting his friend speak for himself.

He sighed, rubbing his own face, and, gathering what courage he had inside, sat on the edge of Satori’s bed. “I – I want to tell you about something.”

Satori’s shoulders tensed again, but not as much as before. To his credit, the manic grin was gone. “I’m all ears.”

_Don’t blush. Don’t. Blush._

“I – ever since – ever since the beginning of the year – that party during the last game – I – goddammit – I thought you had a crush on me.” He heard Satori make a noise, but raised his hand; if he didn’t get everything out first, he would explode. “I thought you had a crush on me and I – I realized – over time – that _I_ was the one with a crush. On you.” He breathed in, breathed out. “I have a crush on you.”

“Semi-Semi—”

“Huge crush. Enormous. Gigantic. And it’s not just because you’re nice to me, or because you helped me, it’s because of all of those things—”

“Semi- _Semi._ ”

“—and, of course, that was probably why I thought _you_ had a crush on me, because I _wanted_ you to, so I understand perfectly—”

Satori’s raised hand pressed into his mouth.

_Right. Let him speak._

Except he didn’t speak – his hand slid from Eita’s mouth to his neck, and then to his shoulder and arm. It went slowly, like a caress, and, when Satori reached his hand, the blood was soaring inside Eita’s ears.

“This is a lot better than what I was expecting,” Satori said eventually.

“What were you expecting?”

“…Honestly? I thought you were going to let me down easy ‘cause you finally figured out that _I_ have a huge crush on you. Either that or Reon got bored of waiting for me to ‘fess up.”

Eita blinked.

He tried to think of something to say; what did come out left his mouth in a funny wheeze: “Reon knows?" 

“What _doesn’t_ he know,” Satori chuckled.  “I spent the whole game with the jitters. It’s lucky I’m such a miracle boy!”

He waved his arms around in the exaggerated gestures he usually made whenever he stopped a Chaser with a Bludger, and Eita realized that, for all he’d tried to guess Satori’s feelings during these last months, he simply didn’t know how to read him. “…Since when you have a crush on me?”

Satori looked thoughtful. “I’m not really sure… two years? It’s been a while.”

"And _why_ did you never tell me?”

A cool look was sent his way. “Why would you be interested in me, Semi-Semi? I mean, I know what I am.” The chuckle that came out had a touch of bitterness. “ _Goddammiiit_ , I can’t believe we could have spent this whole year making out and I was too busy with my head up in my _ass_.”

“You were not the only one, don’t worry,” and any other night Eita would have been as frustrated as Satori seemed to be, but inside him there was no space for anything else other than _joy._ “It doesn’t matter,” he said, and he was the one touching Satori’s hands, running a hand along the elegant arc of his cheekbone. “It doesn’t matter, because – because I like you as you are.”

That truth – that they had been wrong about unrequited love, that there had never been any reason to worry about it – started making itself solid in Eita’s chest, and if he was happy before, it was nothing compared to _this_. He couldn’t take the silly smile off his face, not even as he leaned in and let his lips touch Satori’s.

Those lips opened under his and they kissed – once, twice, three times. Eita let his tongue invade the space of Satori’s mouth and let Satori take over his; he slotted their bodies together and only let go when neither of them could breathe anymore.

Satori was looking at him like he’d never seen anything more beautiful in the world.

“I like you as you are too,” he whispered into Eita’s mouth, and, right then, in those arms, Eita felt like he’d found a place he could belong to, at last.  

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm on Tumblr, at athousandblueshells


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